Monday, September 14, 2009

The Tribe notched its second straight win on Saturday, easily defeating Central Connecticut State, 33-14. Nearly all scoring occurred in the first half, which ended with a score of 30-14. R.J. Archer threw two touchdown passes, including a 21 yard pass into the back of the end zone to a leaping D.J. McAulay. (McAulay also hauled in a 48 yard strike to set up an earlier 17 yard touchdown pass to fullback Jimmy Hobson.) Jonathan Grimes led Tribe rushers with 80 yards on 19 carries. Jake Trantin (2 solo tackles, 8 assists), Evan Franks (4 solo tackles and 5 assists), Adrian Tracy (3 solo tackles and 5 assists) and Sean Lissemore (3 solo tackles and 3 assists) led a solid Tribe defense.

In other CAA action, number 1 Richmond edged Delaware, unranked in the Sports Network and Coaches poll last week, 16-15, before more than 20,000 fans in Newark. Look for the Blue Hens to jump into the top 20 based on this showing. I suspect Richmond will remain at number 1 but perhaps receive fewer first place votes.

No 9 New Hampshire, also of the CAA, defeated FBS opponent Ball State, 23-16, giving theCAA its fourth victory this year against and FBS team.

Number 6 JMU took Maryland to overtime but lost 38-35. Look for JMU to retain its number 6 spot. JMU's performance confirms that the best teams in the CAA can play "toe-to-toe" with several teams in the ACC, despite the latter's advantage in athletic scholarships given per year and other expenditures. Even before theNew Hampshire/Ball State and JMU/Maryland games, the CAA's performance against ACC and other FBS opponents last week led some, particularly the Richmond Times Dispatch, to wonder whether ACC teams would continue to schedule CAA teams in opening games, instead of choosing less powerful opponents. Currently, Richmond is scheduled to play Virginia, Duke, N.C. State and Virginia, in that order through 2014. William and Mary is slated to play North Carolina in 2010 and Virginia again in 2011. Here's the link to the Times Dispatch Story.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Earlier this evening the William and Mary Tribe stunned the University of Virginia Cavaliers, 26-14 in Charlottesville before a near-capacity crowd. What follows is an eyewitness account, bolstered by some statistics from an AP report posted on ESPN. For the ESPN report, and the box score posted on the William and Mary website, go here and here, respectively.

UVA led 14-13 at halftime, but the Tribe's rock-solid defense held Virginia to zero points in the second half. The Tribe took the lead in the third quarter, 16-14, with a field goal that capitalized after UVA muffed a punt that William and Mary recovered at the Virginia 9. The Tribe did not look back, adding another field goal in the fourth quarter before redshirt freshman B.W. Webb returned his third interception of the evening down the sideline 50 yards for a touchdown, putting the Tribe ahead 25-14 before the extra point and igniting pandemonium among William and Mary fans at the stadium. The Tribe sideline was penalized for entering the field, and UVA fans began streaming out of the stadium. A subsequent UVA drive fizzled on downs, and William and Mary ran out the clock.

Throughout the game the Tribe flawlessly executed a ball-control offense, mixing running and passing to remain on the field over 35 minutes, keep the Cavaliers off-balance and consume precious time, thereby keeping the Cavalier offense off the field and giving the Tribe defense time to rest and adjust to Virginia's evolving attack, which employed three different quarterbacks. The Tribe racked up 309 total yards, 184 passing and 125 rushing. R.J. Archer was 25-43 and threw for one tocuhdown and one interception, the latter of which was the functional equivalent of the punt on third and long, when Archer threw deep down the sideline. Jonathan Grimes led the Tribe running backs, with 46 yards on 19 carries, while quarterback R.J. Archer added 50 yards, including a 23 yard run that helped set up the Tribe's 4th field goal in the fourth quarter. Brian Pate kicked four field goals. Another attempt was blocked, a second from over forty yards hit the left upright, and a third missed wide.

All in all, UVA turned the ball over seven times and fumbled the ball out of bounds once as well. The Tribe defensive line and linebackers repeatedly harried UVA's quarterbacks, while Tribe quarterback R.J. Archer was sacked only once, for a four yard loss.

The Tribe entered the game ranked 14 in the Football Championship Series conference by the Sporting News, and 15th by USA today. No doubt the Tribe will move up in the rankings. This is the Tribe's first victory over an FBS opponent since it defeated Temple 45-38 in 1998. The Tribe defeated UVA in 1986, 41-37, in Charlottesville.

Update, 1:14 AM, Sunday, September 6. Here is a round up of stories about today's upset:

Some of Your Blogger's Papers Are Posted Here:

Bishop James Madison

Portrait of Bishop James Madison

Who Was Bishop Madison ?

Bishop James Madison, the cousin of our nation's fourth President, was the President of the College of William and Mary from 1777 until his death in 1812. Prior to appointment as President, Madison served as a professor of natural philosophy and mathematics. During the Revolutionary War, Madison organized a militia company of students. William and Mary claims that Madison was the first professor of Political Economy in the United States. His lectures on the subject relied upon Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, published in 1776. Along with Thomas Jefferson, Madison was instrumental in founding the School of Law at William and Mary, appointing George Wythe as William and Mary's first Professor of Law and Police.